Those
Rocky Mountain highs just keep on coming. Actually, Stranahan's
pre-dates that other Rocky Mountain high by nine years as
Stranahan's was founded in Denver in 2004 by Jess Graber and
George Stranahan shortly after Jess met George while fighting
a fire at Stranahan's barn. You may not have heard of Stranahan's,
but in Colorado, it is a cult classic that has locals camping
outside the distillery to grab a bottle when they announce
the release of a new batch. I believe only Chick Fil-a has
such equally devote followers that regularly camp outside
the opening of their new stores.

So
what's up with this spirit that it turns normally sane people
into cult like devotees? Stranahan's is a straight whiskey
aged in new charred oak barrels with the final spirit a blend
of 2, 3 and 5 year old whiskies.

They
use 4 types of Rocky Mountain malted barley and water sourced
from the Eldorado spring outside of Boulder. They use volunteers
for the bottling process who get to keep a bottle for their
efforts and the waiting list is currently 20,000 enthusiasts
deep. On their web site, they declare that this spirit is
"essentially a hybrid of Scotch and Bourbon with a Colorado
soul".

Well,
let's see what all the hype and insanity is all about. Stranahan's
is a very pale, very light amber colored spirit. The nose
is quite sweet with hints of honey, caramel and maple syrup
up front, with just the barest oak and smoke notes in the
background. The nose is definitely as light as the color of
this spirit. On the palate, it becomes pleasantly spicy, and
even earthy, with cinnamon and tobacco notes again, followed
by the barest hint of oak and a touch of smoke. The finish
is spicy and short and sweet leaving behind a feeling of warmth
and maple syrup.

This
is a delightful Rocky Mountain high and precisely the way
to make artisanal small batch spirits. They give it just enough
and varied enough flavor to make it interesting without overpowering
your palate and other senses. This is definitely a sipper
and might require that odd piece or two of ice, but I would
recommend enjoying it straight up as it is delicate enough
to be enjoyed all by itself. I'm beginning to understand the
devotion the devotees have for this whiskey; it really is
mighty tasty.

Stranahan's
Single Malt Whiskey can be found online for between
$54.99 and up to $60.00 per 750ML bottle and it is 94 proof
or 47% ABV